Secret Farecast buyer is Microsoft — It's official: Microsoft is the mystery buyer of Farecast, the Seattle online travel startup. Responding to an inquiry from the P-I today, Microsoft issued this statement from spokeswoman Whitney Burk: … We reported earlier this week that the company …

Microsoft Acquires Farecast — We're excited to confirm that Farecast has been acquired by Microsoft! This acquisition creates tremendous opportunities for the Farecast team and our customers. We look forward to sharing more details in the weeks to come. On behalf of the Farecast team, thank you.

Lessig Lectures the FCC on the Need for Neutrality — Now we know why none of the major carriers showed up for Thursday's open FCC meeting at Stanford University: Who wants to take on Larry Lessig, the lion of Net Neutrality, in his own den? — Class was in session when Stanford law …

Microsoft's Ozzie gives open-source outlook — People trying to get a sense for Microsoft's direction will be listening closely in the coming months to Ray Ozzie, who has assumed the role of chief software architect in advance of Bill Gates ending his full-time role.

Rocketboom creator pulls plug on auction of Twitter account — It appears that for now at least, we won't get to find out the value of identity on Twitter. — A few days ago, Rocketboom creator Andrew Baron put his Twitter account up for sale on eBay, offering access to his 1,500-plus followers (it's now at 1,757 followers).

After Criticism, Apple Software Updater Gets UI Makeover — Apple has made a small but significant tweak to its Automatic Software Update utility to make a clear distinction between security patches and new products being pushed out to Windows users. — The UI redesign, which adds …

Tools For Your Video Career — Very few would argue with the statement that video is hot right now. From the cultural phenomenon of YouTube, through to the rise of live streaming services, money is pouring into startups from content creators through to service providers.

Forget LoJack, Twitter Can Bring Your Phone Back Home — Scot Hacker didn't even know he'd lost his phone until he saw a note on Twitter. From his own phone. — The mystery tweet read: … An hour later, Hacker had retraced his steps and reclaimed his phone from the good Samaritan who discovered it, Silje Rygland.